South Africa vs Australia
South Africa and Australia have been in full control of their pool since day 1. Despite the Wallabies letting Samoa get closer than they would have liked, both sides have taken a maximum 10 points, and are in good form ahead of this matchup.
Thomas Du Toit is one of the leaders of the side, and his size and power makes him a threat, not only in the scrums, but also with ball in hand as well. Capped by the Barbarians against the Australian senior squad, Du Toit is one of the leaders of this big South African side. Cameron Orr will be the key part of the scrum for the Aussies, as he is a promising youngster with a lot of power. Jason Jenkins and RG Snyman are the two locks, and continue the trend of big, skillful South African second rows. Australia can also boast big and skillful second rows, but their names are so hard to spell that I’ve given up trying. Jacques Vermeulen and Jean Luc Du Plessis form a large and aggressive pair of flankers, that Australia need to keep in check. No. 8 Hanro Liebenberg will keep South Africa crossing the gainline throughout the match. Michael Gunn and Adam Korczyk are two leaders of the Australian side, and the South Africans need to shut them down.
Brandon Thomson has the unenviable role of filling the shoes of Handre Pollard, who is now battling to take the Springbok 10 shirt for the World Cup. James Tuttle and Andrew Deegan form his talented opposition, and they will need to be stopped early, or they will release their talented wide options. Daniel Du Plessis is a very good inside center, physical, agile, and with a very good set of hands. Du Plessis is the leader of the Baby Bok backline in defence, and will look to send a physical message early. Slone Tuipulotu is young at just 18 years old, but he is a great talent for the Wallabies, and if he can find his stride he may outperform Du Plessis, Leolin Zas, Khano Ngcukana, and Warrick Gelant form a potent back three that holds the record for “Hardest Names to Spell or Pronounce in Rugby”. They will face a lethal Australian back three led by the electric Andrew Kellaway, whose searing pace makes him a constant threat on the outside.
Last seasons second place side, South Africa have been nearly flawless so far, and I would be surprised if they were unable to defeat this Australian side in the contact area. That said, if they let the Wallabies hang around, the deadly Australian finishers will smell blood and attack. South Africa need to stifle the Aussie attack from the very start, or the Wallabies will be a pain to put away.
Prediction: South Africa 24- Australia 14
Ireland vs New Zealand
New Zealand have been in control of this pool, while Ireland have been quietly lurking in the shadows of the Baby Blacks. New Zealand have gotten two bonus point wins, whereas Ireland have relied on the O’Gara esque, late match kicking to give them their 8 points. Both sides have been far from clinical however, with New Zealand being pushed to the end by Argentina, and Ireland barely escaping against Los Pumitas and the Scots.
Captain Atunisi Moli will want to exploit the relatively inexperienced Andrew Porter at scrum time, with Jeremy Loughman out. Porter is not small however, and neither is Oisin Heffernan, who is the cornerstone of the Irish setpice. Zach McCall has pace to burn and is dangerous in open play, but must get his lineouts sorted. Joshua Goodhue and Hamish Dalzell will look to physically outmatch their opposition of David O’Connor and Alexander Thompson, and the lineout battle between these 4 is vital. Josh Murphy’s defensive prowess will be crucial for Ireland, and Rory Moloney will want to help Ireland win the battle at the breakdown. The battle of Akira Ioane and Lorcan Dow will go a long way in determining the outcome of the match. If Dow can overcome his size deficit, and keep Ioane from having a big impact, Ireland will be in with a shout.
Ireland captain Nick McCarthy continues his partnership with out-half Joey Carberry in the absence of Ross Byrne. Carberry’s goal-kicking has been superb so far, and Ireland cannot miss chances for points if they hope to win this match. Otere Black takes over at flyhalf Mitchell Hunt, with the latter taking a spot on the bench. Sam Arnold and Garry Ringrose are the key for the Irish backline. If Arnold can make the hard yards and get his hands free to put Ringrose in space, Ireland could create holes in the Kiwi defence, but conversely, if Nathaniel Apa and Jack Goodhue outplay their Irish opponents, Ireland will not win. Ringrose is an absolute magician with ball in hand, and has been Ireland’s standout player thus far. Vincent Tavae-Aso partners with the destructive Tevita Li. Li tore Ireland apart last year so if Jacob Stockdale can’t stop him, expect Ireland to be in for a long day. Jack Owens is opposite Stockdale, and will look to get involved as much as possible for Ireland. Billy Dardis has explosive pace, and runs excellent lines, so New Zealand must wary of Ringrose putting him into space.
Ireland love being an underdog, and this is a very good Irish team. The center pairing of Arnold and Ringrose is one to watch in the future, and the Irish scrum is full of quality players. However, this New Zealand side has played far more professional rugby, with most of the players already regulars in Super Rugby sides. Ireland will need to play flawlessly, and thus far in the tournament they have not come close to that. Expect the boys in green to play valiantly, but you get the feeling they will not be able to come away with this win.
Prediction New Zealand 32- Ireland 28